Four-year-old girl dies after dog attack in back garden of home in Milton Keynes
31 January 2023, 21:44 | Updated: 1 February 2023, 08:30
A four-year-old girl has died after reports of a dog attack in Milton Keynes on Tuesday evening, Thames Valley Police said.
Ambulance and police attended the incident, which happened in a back garden in Netherfield shortly after 5pm today.
The dog was humanely destroyed.
No arrests have been made in connection with the attack.
Superintendent Matt Bullivant said: “This is an absolutely tragic incident, in which we believe that a child has been killed after being attacked by a dog.
“Clearly, we are in the very early stages of an investigation, and it would be wrong and unhelpful to speculate as to the exact circumstances of this incident at this point.
“However, in order to ensure public safety, a decision was made earlier this evening to destroy the dog involved, and this has been done humanely.
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“I understand how much of an impact this will have on the community and on the wider public, and people can expect to see a large police presence in the area this evening and beyond while our investigation continues.
“I would like to reassure people that there is no reason to believe there is any danger to the wider public at this time.
“Anyone with concerns should feel free to approach our officers and ask questions, but I urge people not to speculate about the circumstances, especially on social media platforms.
“I also understand that this case is likely to attract attention from the media. With this in mind I would like to ask that the privacy of the family involved is respected at this very difficult time. It is impossible to imagine what they must be going through at the moment.
“We will provide further updates when we are in a position to do so.”
